"Cutting off an ear means turning a deaf ear, cutting off a tongue means silencing a mouth, and blinding an eye means turning a blind eye."
After listening to Jack's report, Jubal paused for a moment before asking, "Then why did they kidnap the mayor's wife? While she's not completely innocent, she probably had little to do with this, right?"
"I don't know. Even Mayor Brad Smith himself can't explain it. Greg, after angrily accusing him of dereliction of duty and turning a blind eye to the evil deeds of Griffin Coal and Electric Company, blinded him and took his wife."
Jack couldn't predict what the Hammond brothers would do next. Jubal could only continue to urge the State Troopers and Highway Patrol to set up checkpoints on major roads, searching for the mayor's two cars.
However, before he and Jiejie could return to Griffin's house, they received another call from Jubal, instructing them to meet at a gallery in the suburbs of Birmingham, where an explosion had just occurred.
By the time they arrived at the scene, the ERT and bomb disposal team from the local FBI office had already secured the area.
After pulling out his ID to identify himself and entering the cordon, Jack greeted Jubal, who had arrived earlier. "How bad is the situation?"
"Four people died on the spot: a store clerk and two customers. The victim wearing the explosive vest has been confirmed to be Linda Smith, the kidnapped mayor's wife." Jubal's face had turned a dark hue.
"No injuries?"
Jack was surprised by the answer. He had experienced many bombings before, and a quick glance at the scene would give him a rough estimate of the bomb's power.
The gallery where the explosion occurred was located on the first floor of a three-story brownstone building, only about 100 to 200 square meters.
While the scene appeared devastated, with all the street-facing windows blown out, the street-side windows of a car parked at the main entrance remained intact, shattered only on the side facing the explosion.
Combined with the two raw materials used by the Raymond brothers in the explosives, and Jubal's description of the explosive vest, it seemed unlikely that their bomb was particularly powerful.
The scene at the scene proved this point. The windows of other shops just across the street from the gallery were intact, and the overall structure of the building housing the gallery was undamaged.
When Jack reached the store and saw the nuts and triangles embedded in the car's door facing the gallery, he suddenly understood.
The Raymond brothers had added extra shrapnel to their bomb vests to increase their explosive power—quite insidious.
"What's wrong with this gallery?" Jack asked Alice, who was approaching him with a tablet.
He asked because if he was simply venting his anger, he could have killed the mayor's wife right in front of him—no need for a homemade bomb vest.
"This gallery also belongs to the Griffin family. It's well known that investing in art facilitates asset transfers and avoids taxes," Alice said, handing the tablet to Jack.
"Aubrey and Hannah returned to Blue Springs and interviewed some of the plaintiffs who had appeared in court. Some of them were former employees of Griffin Coal and Electric Company.
They had complained in court that they hadn't received a penny for their sick leave, while the Griffin family had spent lavishly on art."
"So this is also a statement, but it's clear that the Raymond brothers' criminal methods have escalated. To achieve their goals of revenge, they're no longer hesitant to attack innocent people,"
Jubal said, looking at Jack, who was looking down in thought. "Any ideas?"
"The bomb vest must have been remotely detonated, right?"
Jack's question startled Jubal. "That's probably right. They could force Linda Smith to enter the gallery wearing the bomb vest, but they couldn't force her to manually press the detonator."
He then realized, "I'll immediately notify the ERT to search for the cell phone debris. They likely used it nearby to detonate the bomb."
"No need. I can directly use the nearest cell tower to find the phone that was connected at the moment of the explosion." Alice shrugged, looking around.
"Luckily, this isn't bustling New York City, otherwise this investigation wouldn't be faster than searching for the cell phone debris directly."
"I'll take a call first." Jack flashed his phone to his teammates and walked over.
It was still Cassel on the line, but this time his voice was a little sad. He told Jack the bad news: Beckett's immediate superior, Commissioner Roy Montgomery of the NYPD's 12th Precinct, had died.
This news shocked Jack. Although he didn't interact much with the stern, bald black captain, just a nodding acquaintance, he knew that he had a special relationship with Beckett.
Their relationship was almost like that of Jack and Rossi. Beckett's ability to become a detective at such a young age in a male-dominated police department was inseparable from the unwavering support of Commissioner Roy Montgomery.
But before Jack could ask further, Jiejie approached. "Jack, Alice found the phone used to detonate the bomb, and the signal shows they're on the other side of the city."
It all seemed to be coming together. Jack cursed inwardly and hurried back to his Suburban. He called Cassel, telling him to keep an eye on Beckett and not do anything stupid, and to wait until he got back to New York.
"They're driving down Maple Leaf Road, they don't look like they're leaving the city," Alice said, clutching a tablet in the back seat, reporting the location of the tracking phone.
Beside her, Aubrey frantically put on her bulletproof vest, mumbling, "I don't understand. Why didn't they turn it off?"
"Because it's an anonymous phone. They didn't expect us to track the number through the cell tower," Jack explained casually.
He was not in a very good mood at the moment. He was trying hard to block out distractions and focus on the case at hand.
"The Raymond brothers didn't leave the city. They are most likely looking for other targets for revenge. Alice, take a look at the buildings in the direction they are heading."
"Uh, there is a dry cleaner and a supermarket in the next block, and a restaurant and a law firm in the next block." Alice's fingertips slid quickly across the screen.
"Wait." Aubrey paused. "The lawyer who defended Griffin!"
"Wait a minute." Alice switched the screen. "Andy Witherspoon, yes, that law firm."
"Notify the nearest patrol officer to block the intersection and ask everyone nearby to leave." Jack simply turned on the siren and stepped on the accelerator.
(End of this chapter)